‘ATL Files’

followed by four episodes that look at Atlanta’s accessibility, walkability, dining, and nightlife. The tone is strictly mock- buster, following the exploits of two sharp-suited, dark-sunglassed agents who have been “hired to find out why one city has risen above the rest.” “What a cool take on how to show off your city!” said Shannon Burke, CMP, associate director of conference and meetings for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “By making a city’s promo into an adventurous and intriguing vignette, they’ve definitely caught my interest and made a memo- rable impact.” Which was the whole point. “The ‘ATL Files’ was created as an attendance-driving tool for ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, which will be held in Atlanta [this month], but it has grown to encompass much more,” said ACVB President and CEO William Pate. “We are able to use the ‘ATL Files’ to show meeting planners and attendees alike what has changed since they were last in Atlanta, and do so in a creative, entertaining medium that holds the viewer’s attention.”

‘WHAT HAPPENS IN BOSTON CHANGES THE WORLD’ convn.org/boston-happens That’s a bold statement, and to back it up, Boston draws on the full breadth of its hometown resources, with testimonials from Mayor Thomas M. Menino; Cassius Cash, superintendent of Boston National Historical Park;

PCMA.ORG

Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Bos- ton Pops; Doc Rivers, head coach of the Boston Celtics; Drew Gilpin Faust, pres- ident of Harvard University; and Mas- sachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. Together they paint a nuanced portrait of a city with brains, beauty, heart and soul. The video was “developed to promote Boston as the host of PCMA Convening Leaders 2014,” said Caryn Izhar, direc- tor of convention center marketing for the Boston Convention Marketing Center. “Home to innovators and revo- lutionary thinkers, Boston has a long track record of making history — from the beginnings of the American Revolu- tion to the beginnings of the Internet and Facebook — and our conventions are no different. Boston meetings and events have drawn record-breaking attendance, won countless awards, and launched groundbreaking ideas in med- icine, technology, finance, government, education, the arts and more.”

‘RIGHT HERE’ (CALGARY) convn.org/calgary-here How do you let the world know that your city is full of young, infectiously creative talent? You let the talent speak

— or sing — for itself. Calgary’s entire destination video is scored to “Right Here,” a song by local duo Jocelyn & Lisa, whose voices flutter and soar above beautifully shot scenes of the city, the countryside around it, and the people who live, work, and play in both. “As Calgarians, we know our city is young,

creative, innovative, cultural, and urban, and it’s important the rest of the world sees this, too,” Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said in a press release. “This new promotional video showcases our city’s unique energy as well as the incredible local talent who brought this story to life.” In an interview, Jenna McLeod, manager of marketing and communica- tion for the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, added: “From our perspective, the video is an excellent collabora- tion which allows us to have a united message and stronger voice when we promote Calgary anywhere in the world. We want to tell more people in more places that Calgary is a vibrant and energetic city to visit, meet, and work.”

‘DOWNTOWN PHOENIX: IT’S COOLER THAN YOU THINK’ convn.org/phoenix-cooler There’s nothing like the truth. To dispel some of the misperceptions that visi- tors might have, Phoenix follows an uninformed traveler as he lands at the airport, takes a cab downtown, and wanders around the city. Along the way, he shares his negative assumptions about the city — and each time he does, he’s corrected by “Pop-Up Video”–style facts. When he says, “Welcome to Phoenix, where it is always hot,” we learn this: “Phoenix average yearly temperature: 73°.” In response to the observation that “Downtown Phoenix is just a brown, dusty, concrete jungle of buildings,” we get this: “Wrong again. Civic Space Park opened 2008.” And on and on, playfully refuting stereotypes about Phoenix’s food, culture, walk- ability, and more. “We definitely went in a different direction with this video,” said Melissa Gogel, marketing director for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, with the CVB and its partners deciding that “humor was the best approach, given that most of the obstacles in the selling process originate from misperceptions about heat and sprawl. Once the myths are dispelled — and we agreed to hit them head on — it’s much easier to get to the task of booking business.”

AUGUST 2013 PCMA CONVENE 49